Remote connections should never be allowed that bypass the firewall, as there is no way to verify if they can be trusted. Enables usage of STUN and relay servers when remote clients are trying to establish a connection to this machine. If this setting is enabled, then remote clients can discover and connect to this machine even if they are separated by a firewall. If this setting is disabled and outgoing UDP connections are filtered by the firewall, then this machine will only allow connections from client machines within the local network. If this policy is left not set the setting will be enabled.

SV-57547r1_rule

DTBC-0003

LOW

Sites ability for showing desktop notifications must be disabled.

Chrome by default allows websites to display notifications on the desktop. This check allows you to set whether or not this is permitted. Displaying desktop notifications can be allowed by default, denied by default or the user can be asked every time a website wants to show desktop notifications. If this policy is left not set, 'AskNotifications' will be used and the user will be able to change it.
1 = Allow sites to show desktop notifications
2 = Do not allow any site to show desktop notifications
3 = Ask every time a site wants to show desktop notifications

SV-57553r1_rule

DTBC-0004

MEDIUM

Sites ability to show pop-ups must be disabled.

Chrome allows you to manage whether unwanted pop-up windows appear. Pop-up windows that are opened when the end user clicks a link are not blocked. If you enable this policy setting, most unwanted pop-up windows are prevented from appearing. If you disable this policy setting, pop-up windows are not prevented from appearing. If you disable this policy setting, scripts can continue to create pop-up windows, and pop-ups that hide other windows. Recommend configuring this setting to ‘2’ to help prevent malicious websites from controlling the pop-up windows or fooling users into clicking on the wrong window. If you do not configure this policy setting, most unwanted pop-up windows are prevented from appearing. If this policy is left not set, 'BlockPopups' will be used and the user will be able to change it.
1 = Allow all sites to show pop-ups
2 = Do not allow any site to show pop-ups

SV-57557r1_rule

DTBC-0002

MEDIUM

Site tracking users location must be disabled.

Website tracking is the practice of gathering information as to which websites were accesses by a browser. The common method of doing this is to have a website create a tracking cookie on the browser. If the information of what sites are being accessed is made available to unauthorized persons, this violates confidentiality requirements, and over time poses a significant OPSEC issue. This policy setting allows you to set whether websites are allowed to track the user’s physical location. Tracking the user’s physical location can be allowed by default, denied by default or the user can be asked every time a website requests the physical location.
1 = Allow sites to track the user’s physical location
2 = Do not allow any site to track the user’s physical location
3 = Ask whenever a site wants to track the user’s physical location

SV-57561r1_rule

DTBC-0005

MEDIUM

Extensions installation must be blacklisted by default.

Extensions are developed by third party sources and are designed to extend Google Chrome's functionality. An extension can be made by anyone, to do and access almost anything on a system; this means they pose a high risk to any system that would allow all extensions to be installed by default. Allows you to specify which extensions the users can NOT install. Extensions already installed will be removed if blacklisted. A blacklist value of '*' means all extensions are blacklisted unless they are explicitly listed in the whitelist. If this policy is left not set the user can install any extension in Google Chrome.

SV-57563r1_rule

DTBC-0006

MEDIUM

Extensions that are approved for use must be whitelisted.

The whitelist should only contain organizationally approved extensions. This is to prevent a user from accidently whitelisitng a malicious extension. This policy allows you to specify which extensions are not subject to the blacklist. A blacklist value of ‘*’ means all extensions are blacklisted and users can only install extensions listed in the whitelist. By default, no extensions are whitelisted. If all extensions have been blacklisted by policy, then the whitelist policy can be used to allow specific extensions to be installed. Administrators should determine which extensions should be allowed to be installed by their users. If no extensions are whitelisted, then no extensions can be installed when combined with blacklisting all extensions.

SV-57567r1_rule

DTBC-0007

MEDIUM

The default search providers name must be set.

Specifies the name of the default search provider that is to be used, if left empty or not set, the host name specified by the search URL will be used. This policy is only considered if the 'DefaultSearchProviderEnabled' policy is enabled. When doing internet searches it is important to use an encrypted connection via https.

SV-57569r1_rule

DTBC-0008

MEDIUM

The default search provider URL must be set to perform encrypted searches.

Specifies the URL of the search engine used when doing a default search. The URL should contain the string '{searchTerms}', which will be replaced at query time by the terms the user is searching for. This option must be set when the 'DefaultSearchProviderEnabled' policy is enabled and will only be respected if this is the case. When doing internet searches it is important to use an encrypted connection via https.

SV-57571r1_rule

DTBC-0009

MEDIUM

Default search provider must be enabled.

Policy enables the use of a default search provider. If you enable this setting, a default search is performed when the user types text in the omnibox that is not a URL. You can specify the default search provider to be used by setting the rest of the default search policies. If these are left empty, the user can choose the default provider. If you disable this setting, no search is performed when the user enters non-URL text in the omnibox. If you enable or disable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set, the default search provider is enabled, and the user will be able to set the search provider list.

SV-57573r1_rule

DTBC-0010

MEDIUM

Use of cleartext passwords in the Password Manager must be disabled.

Cleartext passwords would allow another individual to see password via shoulder surfing. This policy controls whether the user may show passwords in clear text in the password manager. If you disable this setting, the password manager does not allow showing stored passwords in clear text in the password manager window. By not configuring this policy, users can view their stored passwords in clear text in the password manager.

SV-57575r1_rule

DTBC-0011

MEDIUM

The Password Manager must be disabled.

Enables saving passwords and using saved passwords in Google Chrome. Malicious sites may take advantage of this feature by using hidden fields gain access to the stored information. If you enable this setting, users can have Google Chrome memorize passwords and provide them automatically the next time they log in to a site. If you disable this setting, users are not able to save passwords or use already saved passwords. If you enable or disable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set, this will be enabled but the user will be able to change it. ListPassword manager should not be used as it stores passwords locally.

SV-57577r1_rule

DTBC-0012

MEDIUM

The HTTP Authentication must be set to negotiate.

Specifies which HTTP Authentication schemes are supported by Google Chrome. Possible values are 'basic', 'digest', 'ntlm' and 'negotiate'. Separate multiple values with commas. If this policy is left not set, all four schemes will be used.

SV-57579r1_rule

DTBC-0013

HIGH

The running of outdated plugins must be disabled.

Running outdated plugins could lead to system compromise through the use of known exploits. Having plugins that updated to the most current version ensures the smallest attack surfuce possible. If you enable this setting, outdated plugins are used as normal plugins. If you disable this setting, outdated plugins will not be used and users will not be asked for permission to run them. If this setting is not set, users will be asked for permission to run outdated plugins.

SV-57583r1_rule

DTBC-0014

HIGH

Plugins requiring authorization must ask for user permission.

Policy allows Google Chrome to run plugins that require authorization. If you enable this setting, plugins that are not outdated will always run. If this setting is disabled or not set, users will be not be asked for permission to run plugins that require authorization. These are plugins that can compromise security.

SV-57585r1_rule

DTBC-0015

LOW

Third party cookies must be blocked.

Third party cookies are cookies which can be set by web page elements that are not from the domain that is in the browser's address bar. Enabling this setting prevents cookies from being set by web page elements that are not from the domain that is in the browser's address bar. Disabling this setting allows cookies to be set by web page elements that are not from the domain that is in the browser's address bar and prevents users from changing this setting. If this policy is left not set, third party cookies will be enabled but the user will be able to change that.

SV-57587r1_rule

DTBC-0017

MEDIUM

Background processing must be disabled.

Determines whether a Google Chrome process is started on OS login that keeps running when the last browser window is closed, allowing background apps to remain active. The background process displays an icon in the system tray and can always be closed from there. If this policy is set to True, background mode is enabled and cannot be controlled by the user in the browser settings. If this policy is set to False, background mode is disabled and cannot be controlled by the user in the browser settings. If this policy is left unset, background mode is initially disabled and can be controlled by the user in the browser settings.' - Google Chrome Administrators Policy ListThis setting, if enabled, allows Google Chrome to run at all times. There is two reasons that this is not wanted. First, it can tie up system resources that might otherwise be needed. Second, it does not make it obvious to the user that it is running and poorly written extensions could cause instability on the system.

SV-57591r1_rule

DTBC-0019

MEDIUM

3D Graphics APIs must be disabled.

Disable support for 3D graphics APIs. Enabling this setting prevents web pages from accessing the graphics processing unit (GPU). Specifically, web pages cannot access the WebGL API and plugins cannot use the Pepper 3D API. Disabling this setting or leaving it not set potentially allows web pages to use the WebGL API and plugins to use the Pepper 3D API. The default settings of the browser may still require command line arguments to be passed in order to use these APIs. Chrome uses WebGL to render graphics using the GPU. There are few sites that currently take advantage of this feature. Since there is unlikely to be an operational impact, it is recommended that this feature is turned off in order to reduce the attack surface.

SV-57593r1_rule

DTBC-0020

MEDIUM

Google Data Synchronization must be disabled.

Disables data synchronization in Google Chrome using Google-hosted synchronization services and prevents users from changing this setting. If you enable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set the user will be able to enable Google Sync. Google Sync is used to sync information between different user devices, this data is then stored on Google owned servers. The synced data may consist of information such as email, calendars, viewing history, etc. This feature must be disabled because the organization does not have control over the servers the data is stored on.

SV-57595r2_rule

DTBC-0021

MEDIUM

The URL protocol schema javascript must be disabled.

Each access to a URL is handled by the browser according to the URL's "scheme". The "scheme" of a URL is the section before the ":". The term "protocol" is often mistakenly used for a "scheme". The difference is that the scheme is how the browser handles a URL and the protocol is how the browser communicates with a service. If a scheme or its associated protocol used by a browser is insecure or obsolete, vulnerabilities can be exploited resulting in exposed data or unrestricted access to the browser's system. The browser must be configured to disable the use of insecure and obsolete schemas (protocols).
This policy disables the listed protocol schemes in Google Chrome, URLs using a scheme from this list will not load and cannot be navigated to. If this policy is left not set or the list is empty all schemes will be accessible in Google Chrome.

SV-57597r1_rule

DTBC-0022

MEDIUM

AutoFill must be disabled.

This AutoComplete feature suggests possible matches when users are filling in forms. It is possible that this feature will cache sensitive data and store it in the user's profile, where it might not be protected as rigorously as required by organizational policy. If you enable this setting or do not set a value, AutoFill will remain under the control of the user. This will allow them to configure AutoFill profiles and to switch AutoFill on or off at their own discretion.

SV-57599r1_rule

DTBC-0023

MEDIUM

Cloud print sharing must be disabled.

Policy enables Google Chrome to act as a proxy between Google Cloud Print and legacy printers connected to the machine. If this setting is enabled or not configured, users can enable the cloud print proxy by authentication with their Google account. If this setting is disabled, users cannot enable the proxy, and the machine will not be allowed to share it’s printers with Google Cloud Print. If this policy is not set, this will be enabled but the user will be able to change it.

SV-57603r1_rule

DTBC-0025

MEDIUM

Network prediction must be disabled.

Enables network prediction in Google Chrome and prevents users from changing this setting. If you enable or disable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set, this will be enabled but the user will be able to change it.

SV-57605r1_rule

DTBC-0026

MEDIUM

Metrics reporting to Google must be disabled.

Enables anonymous reporting of usage and crash-related data about Google Chrome to Google and prevents users from changing this setting. If you enable this setting, anonymous reporting of usage and crash-related data is sent to Google. A crash report could contain sensitive information from the computer's memory. If you disable this setting, anonymous reporting of usage and crash-related data is never sent to Google. If you enable or disable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set the setting will be what the user chose upon installation / first run.

SV-57607r1_rule

DTBC-0027

MEDIUM

Search suggestions must be disabled.

Search suggestion should be disabled as it could lead to searches being conducted that were never intended to be made. Enables search suggestions in Google Chrome's omnibox and prevents users from changing this setting. If you enable this setting, search suggestions are used. If you disable this setting, search suggestions are never used. If you enable or disable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set, this will be enabled but the user will be able to change it.

SV-57609r3_rule

DTBC-0029

MEDIUM

Importing of saved passwords must be disabled.

Importing of saved passwords should be disabled as it could lead to unencrypted account passwords stored on the system from another browser to be viewed. This policy forces the saved passwords to be imported from the previous default browser if enabled. If enabled, this policy also affects the import dialog. If disabled, the saved passwords are not imported. If it is not set, the user may be asked whether to import, or importing may happen automatically.

SV-57611r1_rule

DTBC-0030

MEDIUM

Incognito mode must be disabled.

Incognito mode allows the user to browse the Internet without recording their browsing history/activity. From a forensics perspective, this is unacceptable. Best practice requires that browser history is retained. The "IncognitoModeAvailability" setting controls whether the user may utilize Incognito mode in Google Chrome. If 'Enabled' is selected or the policy is left unset, pages may be opened in Incognito mode. If 'Disabled' is selected, pages may not be opened in Incognito mode. If 'Forced' is selected, pages may be opened ONLY in Incognito mode.
0 = Incognito mode available.
1 = Incognito mode disabled.
2 = Incognito mode forced.

SV-57615r1_rule

DTBC-0034

MEDIUM

Plugins must be disabled by default.

Specifies a list of plugins that are disabled in Google Chrome and prevents users from changing this setting. The wildcard characters * and ? can be used to match sequences of arbitrary characters. * matches an arbitrary number of characters while ? specifies an optional single character, i.e. matches zero or one characters. The escape character is \, so to match actual *, ?, or \ characters, you can put a \ in front of them. If you enable this setting, the specified list of plugins is never used in Google Chrome. The plugins are marked as disabled in about:plugins and users cannot enable them. Note that this policy can be overridden by ‘EnabledPlugins’ and ‘DisabledPluginsExceptions’. If this policy is left not set the user can use any plugin installed on the system except for hard-coded incompatible, outdated or dangerous plugins.

SV-57617r2_rule

DTBC-0035

MEDIUM

Plugins approved for use must be enabled.

Policy specifies a list of plugins that are enabled in Google Chrome and prevents users from changing this setting. The wildcard characters '*' and '?' can be used to match sequences of arbitrary characters. '*' matches an arbitrary number of characters while '?' specifies an optional single character, i.e. matches zero or one characters. The escape character is '\', so to match actual '*', '?', or '\' characters, you can put a '\' in front of them. The specified list of plugins is always used in Google Chrome if they are installed. The plugins are marked as enabled in 'about:plugins' and users cannot disable them. Note that this policy overrides both ‘DisabledPlugins ‘and ‘DisabledPluginsExceptions’. If this policy is left not set the user can disable any plugin installed on the system.

SV-57621r1_rule

DTBC-0036

MEDIUM

Automated installation of missing plugins must be disabled.

The automatic search and installation of missing or not installed plugins should be disabled as this can cause significant risk if a unapproved or vulnerable plugin were to be installed without proper permissions or authorization. If you set this setting to enabled the automatic search and installation of missing plugins will be disabled in Google Chrome.

SV-57623r1_rule

DTBC-0037

MEDIUM

Online revocation checks must be done.

By setting this policy to true, the previous behavior is restored and online OCSP/CRL checks will be performed. If the policy is not set, or is set to false, then Chrome will not perform online revocation checks. Certificates are revoked when they have been compromised or are no longer valid, and this option protects users from submitting confidential data to a site that may be fraudulent or not secure.

SV-57625r1_rule

DTBC-0038

MEDIUM

Safe Browsing must be enabled,

Enables Google Chrome's Safe Browsing feature and prevents users from changing this setting. If you enable this setting, Safe Browsing is always active. If you disable this setting, Safe Browsing is never active. If you enable or disable this setting, users cannot change or override this setting in Google Chrome. If this policy is left not set, this will be enabled but the user will be able to change it. Safe browsing uses a signature database to test sites when they are be loaded to ensure they don't contain any known malware.

SV-57627r1_rule

DTBC-0039

MEDIUM

Browser history must be saved.

This policy disables saving browser history in Google Chrome and prevents users from changing this setting. If this setting is enabled, browsing history is not saved. If this setting is disabled or not set, browsing history is saved.

This policy allows you to set whether websites are allowed to automatically run plugins. Automatically running plugins can be either allowed for all websites or denied for all websites. If this policy is left not set, 'AllowPlugins' will be used and the user will be able to change it.
1 = Allow all sites to automatically run plugins
2 = Block all plugins
3 = Click to play.

SV-57633r2_rule

DTBC-0045

MEDIUM

Session only based cookies must be disabled.

Policy allows you to set a list of URL patterns that specify sites which are allowed to set session only cookies. If this policy is left not set the global default value will be used for all sites either from the 'DefaultCookiesSetting' policy if it is set, or the user's personal configuration otherwise. If the 'RestoreOnStartup' policy is set to restore URLs from previous sessions this policy will not be respected and cookies will be stored permanently for those sites.

SV-57635r2_rule

DTBC-0048

MEDIUM

The home page must be set to a trusted site.

When a browser is started the first web page displayed is the "home page". While the home page can be selected by the user, the default home page needs to be defined to display an approved page. If no home page is defined then there is a possibility that a URL to a malicious site may be used as a home page which could effectively cause a denial of service to the browser. The browser must have an organizationally approved default home page.

SV-57639r2_rule

DTBC-0050

MEDIUM

Browser must support auto-updates.

One of the most effective defenses against exploitation of browser vulnerabilities is to ensure the version of the browser is current. Frequent updates provide corrections to discovered vulnerabilities and the timely update reduces the window for zero day attacks. Automatic installation of updates and patches is the most effective method for keeping the browser software current. The browser must have the capability to install software updates and patches automatically.